


Trust is Earned

by PrinceOfUchiha



Series: I'm Watching Over You [2]
Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto, Naruto: Shippuden
Genre: Boruto without Boruto, F/M, Hinata is a single mother, Hokage Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame-centric, Hoshigaki Shizuma-centric, Hyuuga Neji-centric, Kawaki is adopted by Neji, Kawaki is adopted by Sasuke, Kawaki-centric, Log and Mitsuki are loving brothers, Log is adopted by Hinata, M/M, Mitsuki is adopted by Hinata, Sadly no Sarada or Himawari either, Senju Hashirama-centric, Shikamaru is a Single Dad, Shinki is adopted by Gaara, Shinki is adopted by Naruto, Shizuma is Itachi and Kisame's son, Shizuma is adopted by Itachi, Shizuma is adopted by Kisame, Uchiha Itachi-centric, Uchiha Madara-centric, Uchiha Sasuke-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:00:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26507101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceOfUchiha/pseuds/PrinceOfUchiha
Summary: {Part Two to 'Parenting101'}Sasuke and Neji have grown up, and so has the compound. With time comes many new trials-- sometimes including parenthood to the son of your enemy. In this case, Kawaki. When the charge in question decides to bring back Hashirama and Madara from the dead to help save the village? Well, both Itachi and Sasuke have some explaining to do to the pair in question. Unfortunately, they don't seem to mind, too busy dotting Kawaki to give him a proper scolding for bringing people back from the dead without permission. Ah, such was the life of a grandparent, they supposed.Not to mention, since the founders seem so eager to meet their grandkids and help with the village issues, it couldn't hurt to let them remain revived, just once more. Right? Besides, someone had to spoil Kawaki and Shizuma, right? Its a grandparent's job, whether Itachi and Sasuke approve completely or not.
Relationships: Deidara/Sasori (Naruto), Gaara/Uzumaki Naruto, Hoozuki Suigetsu/Karin, Hoshigaki Kisame/Uchiha Itachi, Hyuuga Neji/Uchiha Sasuke, Konan/Nagato | Pain, Rock Lee/Tenten, Sai/Yamanaka Ino, Sarutobi Asuma/Yuuhi Kurenai, Senju Hashirama/Uchiha Madara
Series: I'm Watching Over You [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1927141
Comments: 8
Kudos: 22





	1. Help?

**Author's Note:**

> -This is a sequel to 'Parenting101', so it might not make sense if you don't read that first.
> 
> -The characters are taken from Boruto, but no prior knowledge of the show or manga is required to read this. 
> 
> -There will be spoilers for the character's backstories and minor plot points as well. Consider yourself warned. 
> 
> -This story was written while Boruto was still in its early chapters. As the manga progresses some information in this story might become invalid. If this happens, consider it an AU.

The last thing Madara and Hashirama had remembered was the feeling of complete and utter pride. Of love. Of completion. After that, it was nothing but the very same peaceful void Hashirama had experienced with Madara not once, but multiple times. They thought it was the last time they would ever fall into their so-called 'eternal' slumber. They were wrong.

They both awoke to a pounding in their head, which struck Madara as strange. If they were reanimated, they shouldn't feel pain. If they were brought back using life force from other spirits such as Indra or Ashura, shouldn't they of had some sort of warning? It all seemed so...sudden.

It took only a moment for them to look around, Hashirama making eye contact with a young teen who stood a good distance away from them, eyes scanning over them both. The boy caught Madara's eye soon after, the elder Uchiha looking at the boy sternly. The two elder shinobi didn't know why, but they felt a pint of connection that let them know that it was this boy that had reanimated them. The boy had a look of disbelief as he looked at the two elder shinobi, almost as though he couldn't believe he was able to actually pull them back to life.

Besides his surprise, the most noticeable thing about the teen was his rather...unusual style. He had what looked like a blonde shaved head, a large ruffle of hair going down the center with a black hue. His eyebrows matched his ruffle, leading them to guess that would be his natural hair color. They briefly noticed the tattoo of the Roman numeral for nine tattooed under his eye, but where snapped away from their scan when they found silver eyes watching them carefully, weary. His hands were resting loosely at his sides, seeming to resist gripping at his leather coat.

The teen had his a veil of false disinterest, as though he were trying to hide all his emotions from the elder ninja. Madara and Hashirama almost found this amusing. While his wall would trick a normal ninja, it was no match for their years of experience. They could read him like a book.

Seeing the boy was trying to steady himself to say something and looked no older than thirteen, Hashirama, of course, saw no issue in trying to spark up a conversation from the bluntly starring teen. He didn't look too harmful. "Hey there, looks like you're the one who brought us back, huh? Can I ask your name and why?" hoping to ease into getting information from the boy rather than demand it.

The teen nodded a bit, "I did. I'm Kawaki. I revived you both to ask for your assistance. If you're uninterested, I'll send you back. I only ask that you hear me out-" the teen asked, clearly intimidated by the two elder shinobi despite the way he tried to keep his head up and shoulder squared in false pride. Hashirama mused lightly-- it almost reminded him of Sasuke when they had been revived for the first time.

While Hashirama nodded, Madara looked dissatisfied. "Yes, please do tell me, Kawaki, what could be so important you had to drag us from our peaceful sleep into this hellish day? I'm getting sick of being brought back just to yell at brats for not thinking things through." taking a step forward with a smirk, only half-joking. He just wanted to sleep, damn it.

Hashirama watched Kawaki take a few steps back on reflex as Madara moved forward, Hashirama sighing a bit and knowing no normal person would look at Madara's smirk and know it was a playful one. The kid was more likely readying himself to be stabbed with a kunai at any time or pounced on by the heavily muscled elder ninja.

Reaching an arm out, Hashirama jerked Madara back a few steps to stand beside him, sending his lover a light glare in warning before turning back to Kawaki. "Ignore him. He's not a morning person." he joked, Madara glaring at him lightly as the Senju laughed heartedly. "Go ahead and tell us the situation, then we'll see what we can do. I'm assuming you're a leaf ninja, based on your ability and choice to revive us of all people for the job?"

Kawaki eyed the past Hokage with a conflicted look before he allowed a simple "No," to pass his lips. "I'm actually from outside the leaf. My adoptive father runs an organization that is currently against the leaf. I was recently rescued by Sasuke Uchiha when he came across me on a mission against my adoptive father. I've been put under the protection of him and his husband, so I guess at the moment I classify as a free-roaming prisoner? I'm not certain, Lord Fifth never specified."

A small nod came from Hashirama's end, the man sending Madara a brief smug look. Looks like their little Sasuke had finally found himself a husband. Madara only ignored Hashirama, rolling his eyes at his lover's antics. "I see." the Uchiha spoke with a frown. "I presume this organization has something to do with why we've been revived?"

The teen had lost most of his nervousness now, nodding a bit as they finally got down to business. "Yes." looking unsure how to word his next few sentences. "I don't doubt Lord Fifth nor the village's strength. The compound alone is full of strong shinobi. The only issue is that Lord Fifth and Sasuke have had to fight off the organization on multiple occasions, each time resulting in near-death for them. If he decides to stop playing cat and mouse with them, they'll die. All it would require is him attacking them while they're still in the process of recovering."

Kawaki had a look of grief on his face, clearly pained to even think about such a possibility. "All the organization wants is for me to be handed back over to them, but Lord Fifth can't do that because I'm the next vessel for the organization's leader. It's obvious he's going to use my body to do something terrible once he takes me over so they're trying to defeat him before he gets the chance to. But, again, they keep nearly dying. I don't know when the organization will get tired of toying with them."

"I heard Lord Fifth and Sasuke talking out in the kitchen one night after they thought everyone was asleep. Lord Fifth was saying that you'd be able to handle it easily if you were here," motioning to Hashirama, "Then Sasuke started talking about how if you were here, you'd be able to just scold him to death." motioning to Madara, the elder Uchiha looking mildly annoyed at this. Sasuke was still quite a little shit, Madara noted mentally. "So I figured if you were both here and chose to help them, maybe this could end without anyone in the village dying."

Hashirama looked hesitant but moved towards the teen. He set a hand on his shoulder, noticing the light twitch as the action with a frown. Was he that intimidating? "Kawaki, if you're asking us to help Sasuke and Itachi fight against the organization, you know what the end result will be for their leader, right?" a mourning look on his face as he thought of what the boy was asking. "You do realize that you're asking us to march right up to your father and kill him, right?"

Kawaki was looking down a bit, biting his lip, a small sweat coming from him. Despite his rough and tough appearance, it was clear for the sharp eyes of the elder ninjas to see how hurt he was by what he was asking. "I know, but this way Sasuke and the others in the village will get to live."

Madara sighed a bit at this, nodding, setting a hand on his back, and giving a stretch. "Damn it, fine. We'll help, but what the hell did you use to bring us back? My back hurts like hell so it can't be the albino bastard's jutsu." that note earned him a glare from Hashirama, but he continued, "Then I doubt you have any spirit chakra to be reviving us with like the previous time we were brought back."

Kawaki looked at Madara with a tired look, though he seemed quite pleased with his ability to pull it off. "Its an old forbidden jutsu. It was in the leader's library. He said it's an Otsutsuki jutsu. It cuts up the life force of the caster into multiple sections. Like, since I brought two people back to life, it cut my life force into thirds. A third went to each of you then I got to keep the last of it."

"It didn't harm you did it?" both Madara and Hashirama looked horrified, though Hashirama was the one to speak, Madara looking the teen over. "It won't mess with your health or make you sick, will it?"

Kawaki looked a bit baffled by their concern, though he hid it under a mask of indifference. "It's fine. It'll just shave a few years off my life and make me a little tired the next few days. It shouldn't be that bad."

Madara crossed his arms, looking the boy over suspiciously. "Shaving a few years off your life isn't something I'd particularly call small. Does Sasuke or Itachi know that you've revived us?" though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

Kawaki shook his head back and forth lightly. "Well, if I didn't revive you, there's a good chance I would have died even sooner along with the rest of the village. So it'd say it's worth the trade-off," he spoke coldly, though they could hear the pride drop a bit at his next words. "No, they don't know. I figured I shouldn't alarm them in case you said no."

Madara sighed a bit at that, Hashirama nodding. "Alright, well, we should head to the compound, then. It looks like it's getting late, so we should let Sasuke and Itachi know we're here. Are they still living in the compound?" the Senju asked as he began walking, recognizing the area they were in as the spot where they used to take Itachi and Sasuke out for picnics. He knew the old Uchiha compound wasn't too far away. Madara followed beside Hashirama, Kawaki falling in line behind them.

"Yeah, they still live in the compound. They're in the two main houses," he explained easily. Sasuke has the compound symbol on the front of his house and Lord Fifth has the Hokage's symbol on the front of his. They're right next to each other, so it shouldn't take long for you to get to see them both. They're constantly visiting each other anyway."

The elder ninja nodded, stopping in front of the gates of the compound. Where the Uchiha clan fan was once proudly painted, a new design had taken over. It looked like the Uchiha clan with the design of the Senju etched into the fan. On either side of the far was a pair of wings. That must be the compound symbol Kawaki had spoken of, they noted. As they entered the compound, they were amazed by its growth.

Houses lined the streets, all unique with a well taken care of look to them. There were children playing games in their front yards, while others held onto small machines on the porch. The elder ninja didn't know what they were, but the teens using them seemed happy enough. There were a few adults outside, most of them either watching the kids, doing some chores, or relaxing on their porch.

One thing they all had in common was the diversity of all the members, young and old. Some had black hair, others had blonde. There were plenty of brunettes and even a few with blue or red hair. Some were tanner than others, some paler than the moon itself. They could see the characteristics of multiple well-known clans as well as some they'd never seen before. It was breathtaking, really. Off to the side, they could see a market section, people sitting behind lines of clothes, foods, scrolls, and so much more.

No one seemed to pay them much notice besides a few lose waves from the adults who didn't recognize them or the wide-eyes of the children who could feel their strong chakra. That was until they heard a familiar loud blonde come up from behind them.

"Madara? Hashirama? What the hell, the teme didn't tell me you'd be here! Would it have been that much trouble to mention it when we talked last time?" Naruto seemed as annoyed as ever to the two founders, though he was much more relaxed and seemed to be screaming less. Turning to glance at him, Hashirama and Madara felt a pang of disbelief. This was the little idiot they'd heard screaming about being the Hokage all those years ago?

The blonde glanced at Kawaki, his expression lightening a bit. "Hey, you must be Kawaki, right? Sasuke-teme told me all about you last time we spoke on the radio. You don't have to worry about a thing, you've got the power of Konoha and Suna to keep you safe from Jigen, now." he grinned at the boy.

Kawaki only huffed, crossing his arms and looking away a bit, clearly annoyed as Naruto spoke. Madara decided to give the boy a break, bringing attention to the main topic instead. "Sasuke doesn't know we're here yet either. It's a long story, but we just arrived," he explained. "Why don't we all head up to the main house to talk about it? Do you know if Sasuke or Itachi are home yet?"

Naruto frowned at this, wondering what could possibly make them show up without Sasuke or Itachi knowing. He settled for nodding, leading the way through the busy compound streets. "Itachi is meeting up with Gaara for a kage meeting. Itachi is filling Gaara in with all the information we have on the Kara, but they should be back soon enough. Sasuke's supposed to be at home now, though."

"A kage meeting? But doesn't Gaara live at the compound? How is he a kage?" Hashirama seeming unable to wrap his head around the idea. Gaara had been the son of the Kazekage, but he had moved into the compound years ago. Had he left?

Naruto had a look of realization, "Oh, right, you guys had to leave right after Sasuke came back. I forgot that you didn't get to see how things unfolded for everyone in the compound. There's so much to catch you up on. So much has happened for all of us. We'll be sure to fill you in once we get a chance." the blonde assured him as they stopped in front of a rather large house with the compound symbol on it's front. It looked like it was the old main house, just redecorated.

The blonde headed in, the four visitors frowning at what they saw as they entered.

Sasuke was on the floor, being pinned down by a grinning Neji. The two seemed to be roughhousing despite their age, though both immediately stopped as they heard the door open. They were both panting, their eyes widening as they saw who was at the door. Neji crawled up off of Sasuke, sending him dirty looks, the Uchiha only flipping him off and sitting up on the floor before turning his attention to Naruto. "What the hell did you do, idiot?"

"Hey! Don't blame me! It was your little edgelord over there." motioning to Kawaki who stood off to the side, stubbornly avoiding both Sasuke and Neji's lightly scolding looks.

Sasuke stood up, dusting off his pants, "Kawaki, I think you have some explaining to do."


	2. He's a Warrior

All eyes turned to the teen who stood a bit off to the side, his arms crossed lightly as he was stared down by the many adults. Feeling Sasuke's firm gaze on him, the boy looked at the elder with a look of annoyance, "What? You kept losing." he spoke bluntly. His silver eyes narrowed to match Sasuke's pitch black ones. Tch, grumpy old man.

The elder gave him a look of complete disbelief, crossing his arms. "We kept losing, so your first reaction is to find the founders of the village and revive them? Didn't it perhaps cross your mind to, I don't know, ask me or Itachi first? Wait until we tried again with Suna here to help? How did you even do this?" when Kawaki didn't say anything, Sasuke quirked a brow, "Well?"

"I don't know anything about any founders." he grumbled, putting his hands in his pockets, "All I know is that you and lord fifth said these people could handle it if they were here. So I just looked for their graves in the cemetery and brought them back." he seemed frustrated, "What's the big deal? They said yes. It'll make beating Jigan way easier with fewer casualties."

Sasuke looked tired, resting his fingers on the bridge of his nose and taking a deep breath. "Kawaki, I know you don't have much experience with this kind of thing, so I'm going to let Neji explain it to you later tonight. To put a long lecture short for now, these two men are the founders of this village," he explained, standing beside Neji but still keeping his distance from the young teen. "For reasons Neji will explain later, bringing people back to life is wrong. Their time is over and done with. It's incredibly disrespectful to bring them back to deal with current world problems."

Hashirama and Madara could see the confused look on the teen's face and found themselves mildly shocked. How could the kid not know who they were? Sure, he wasn't from this village, but wouldn't he of heard about it in a history book or something? They didn't mean to toot their own horns, but they were a vastly known duo across the nations. How could he not know? None the less, they stayed quiet for now, watching the teen bicker back with the other male.

"Well, I didn't do it without asking." he argued, "I brought them back and asked for their help. I was gonna put them back if they said no." he explained. "Besides, even if they are the founders of this village, you called them your fathers. You said that parents are supposed to care about their kids, so doesn't that mean they wouldn't want you dead if they could stop it?"

Hearing this, both Madara and Hashirama's eyebrows shot up. Father? Sasuke and presumably Itachi called them father? They looked at Sasuke for confirmation, but the normally porcelain colored boy was a bright red. They noticed him avoiding eye contact with them, only staring at the boy wide-eyed. Hashirama chuckled lightly, moving to pat Kawaki on the shoulder lightly, but was unable to as the boy spun around nearly immediately, smacking his hand away and taking a step back. He hadn't even gotten a chance to before Kawaki was growling out, "Don't touch me!" his silver eyes narrowing in on Hashirama's soft brown ones.

The long-haired man noticed that the younger boy did that a lot-- zooming in on anyone he thought to be a possible threat. It was strange. If he was the adopted son of this 'Jigan', and supposedly the next vessel, wouldn't the man go to great lengths to make sure the boy was safe? The look in his eye was one both the elder ninja recognized. One of repressed fear. One that told them this boy had experienced near-death at least a few times in his short life. One that told them he was absolutely a fighter. One that they too could share, if they so chose to.

Hashirama nodded, rusting his hands by his sides and smiling. "Okay." resulting in Kawaki's defensive stance loosening lightly, his snarling expression calmly and replacing with a lightly skeptical look. "I won't touch you." Hashirama nodded. "I was just going to say that I think Sasuke just needs some time to process this all. Why don't you go train or calm down for a bit?" he suggested.

Naruto nodded, humming, "Shinki is practicing at the training grounds. Maybe you could join him while we wait on Gaara and Itachi to return?" he added, though Kawaki looked disinterested in the idea of meeting this 'Shinki'.

The boy shook his head lightly, sticking his hands back in his pockets and moving past them, towards the door Hashirama and Madara recognized as Sasuke's old room. "I'm going to my room." the teen grumbled, doing so quietly, shutting the door without much noise. It was fairly easy to see the heaviness in his heart as he did so, however.

Sasuke gave a light sigh as he watched the teen, taking a light breath before glancing over at Hashirama and Madara. "I'm. I'm sorry. I had no idea he was going to do that. I thought he was out in the training fields." Sasuke explained with a hint of nervousness, crossing his arms. "We can undo it as soon as he tells us how so you two can get back to resting."

The younger Uchiha wasn't prepared to feel a single large arm wrap around him, Madara smirking and pulling him into a half-sided hug. "You think we're just going to slide right on past the 'father' comment? Or let our dear grandson be put in danger? Not to mention this talk of you being /married/." he purred out. "Not a chance."

Sasuke stiffened, his face reddening as he heard this. "I didn't call you that!" he denied, hands moving up his face to cover his blush. "He's not our son, you crusty old man. Geeze, Itachi's married too, go bother him," he muttered, yipping as he was swooped up easily by the older male, thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Hey! What's the big idea!?" he stammered, pride beyond wounded.

"Well, you called me an old man, so I guess that makes you a little boy," Madara smirked wolfishly as he carried the flabbergasted younger Uchiha to the dining room. "Now, how about you calm down, and tell your poor old parents about this 'Kara'." the elder mused, plopping Sasuke down on a chair. Madara moved to make them some tea, Sasuke glaring at his back with annoyance, though he relaxed slightly as Neji sat beside him. Naruto was sending him muffled snorts of laughter, Hashirama sending the blonde scolding looks as they all sat down at the table. Well, one of them hadn't changed much at least.

Sasuke gave a small noise of annoyance, though he calmed his nerves after a moment. "Kara is an organization with no clear goal," he admitted, glancing over at Hashirama, who sat across from him. He felt a strange wave of deja vu, his mind wandering back to all those years ago when they'd tried to stop the Akatsuki. The only issue now was that Kara seemingly couldn't be talked out of it like the Akatsuki could. Their goals seemed to be solidly evil, though that could be because they had no idea what drove the Kara.

"They have two rings of command. The Inner and Outer ring. The inner ring is smaller, giving their commands to the outer ring and having them fulfill them. The inner seems to consist of extremely strong ninja, while the outer consists of mostly scientists. People who create ninja tools to amplify their powers. They tend to wear black hoods, though the inner ring can normally be identified by the tattoos on their face. Roman numerals." he explained, taking the cup of tea Madara handed him as they all settled down.

Madara quirked a brow at this, "A numeral much like the one Kawaki has under his eye, I'm presuming?" he asked, sitting down beside Sasuke. "He mentioned that the man in charge was his adoptive father. It sounds a bit sketchy, for him to land himself in the village's care then go to revive us behind your back. Is it possible that he's working with this 'Jigan' still?" taking a sip from his tea and lowering his voice as he brought up this possibility.

Sasuke looked pained at the thought, and Neji easily grew unsettled by the idea. Hashirama gave Madara a look of disapproval, Naruto full-on glaring at the elder man. Madara remained calm, gulping his drink before speaking. "Whether you like the idea or not, it's still very possible. Don't you remember Itachi's stories about him back in the ANBU? How he'd use his youngth to his advantage when it came to sneaking into enemy territory? That could be the case here. He seems like an honest enough boy, but there's always the off chance." he noted.

Neji shook his head back and forth briefly, intertwining his hands as he spoke. "We've made sure this isn't the case. When he first arrived, we had Sasuke use his eternal mangekyo to...poke around. Since he can read the minds and emotions of others, it's fairly useful for mind probing without any pain. He's luckily learned over the years to turn this power on and off, so we haven't checked recently, but when he first arrived his intentions were pure."

Naruto looked interested, glancing at Sasuke, "What did you hear and feel comin' off him?" he asked curiously. "Gaara told me that according to Itachi, you specifically requested he be put under your care rather than left in a cell. Which is an awfully big risk your taking, if he turns out to be against us somehow." the blonde pointed out.

"Tch." Sasuke gave a light look of annoyance at the question. "I'm not giving the details. They aren't mine to tell, and are irrelevant when it comes to protecting the village and the boy," he explained but gave them just enough information that they'd understand why exactly it would have been a bad idea to keep him under lock and key. "When his mind turned towards Kara, I felt two extreme emotions washing over him. Hatred and Fear. Neither of those line up with him working for them. Though, I suppose you could argue that he might have been forced to attack us from within and was too scared to say no."

He let out a small breath. "I doubt this is the case. When I push into his mind further, flashes of what happened to him fill my vision." he glanced down into his cup, taking a quiet sip before speaking. "They have done nothing to earn his affection nor loyalty. Only bitter hatred. He ran away. I saw it with my own Sharingan." he spoke quietly, "That bastard Jigan is not his father. He's his abuser."


	3. So Many Grandchildren...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is a shameless information dump, I hope you enjoy it anyway.
> 
> Also, I edited Shizuma's age for this fanfic. He's sixteen here instead of the canon age.

Hashirama and Madara both frowned at this, understanding the implications rather easily. Ah, so that was why the boy seemed so ready to fight. He had been through some sort of abuse, and from what they could tell, it wasn't light nor brief either. Then again, abuse never was easy. Before they had a chance to dwell on it further, the front door opened.

The pair saw Itachi and Gaara stepped into the living room, both of them dressed in full Kage attire. They both looked tired but seemed relieved to have the meeting over with. Once more, they were shocked at how much the two had grown.

Itachi no longer had that dull slump in his shoulders. He stood tall, head held firmly upward in a proud yet not arrogant way. His eye bags were still the same, long and tired, but his eyes shone with something new. A look of drive and determination. He had gotten a fair amount taller as well, though it was nothing in comparison to Gaara's height jump.

While the red-head still held his small and petite frame, he had grown several feet. Previously, he barely met Madara's shoulders when he stood across from him. Now, he was about Hashirama's height. Though they might be a bit based on perception since his lean features and squared shoulders had a firm wave of power setting off of him. His hair was just as ruffled as they remembered it, though. As for his eyes, he seemed a give off a much kinder aura than when he was younger. That was to be expected, though.

Both seemed to freeze in place as they spotted Hashirama and Madara, the Senju waving lazily over the side of the chair. "Long time no see, son." his teasing words came, directed at a red-faced Itachi. He then nodded in greeting to Gaara, "Hello, Gaara." he smiled.

Itachi sighed lightly, walking over to sit beside them. He slid off his kage hat, setting it on his lap. "Otouto, I leave you alone for a few days. Just two or three. That's all it takes for you to go unhinged and start resurrecting ninja?" he sends an accusing look to Sasuke, who rolled his eyes at his elder brother.

"I did no such thing. Kawaki was eavesdropping on us when we were discussing Jigan the other day." Sasuke lightly pinched the bridge of his nose, "It would seem, using his everlasting wisdom, he decided we needed help."

Itachi looked less than pleased about that, Gaara moving to sit down next to Naruto, his hat in his lap as well. Gaara noted lightly, hand on chin, "He does sound rather attached to you, based on what Itachi has told me. I'd say you couldn't blame him if that was his lead."

"It was," Madara confirmed. "He asked us to defeat Jigan, mentioning that he was his adoptive father. When we brought it to his attention that it would lead to the death of Jigan, he said he would rather him die than the villagers," he explained. "So he isn't completely at fault." he half agreed with Gaara.

Itachi shook his head back and forth lightly, "I still can't believe he'd do it behind our backs. He can't just be bringing whoever he wants back to life based off half of a conversation he heard." he rubbed his temple, accepting some of the tea Madara passed him.

Neji nodded lightly, "I'll talk to him after he cools down. He seems a bit upset at the sour reactions he got. He's most likely sulking for now." he mused. A nod of agreement came from Naruto as the brunet added, "He's most likely not familiar with the moral guidelines of the main villages, given the fact he's been raised by Jigan."

Itachi seemed to accept this, for now, listening as Hashirama noted, "Sasuke and Kawaki have both already explained the known information on Kara. We can begin working on it later tonight." a thin smile lacing his lips. "I think we have some catching up to do first, though. It's been years," he suggested.

Itachi nodded lightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "...How about you start with Sasuke and the others while Gaara and I change into something less formal," he suggested, Gaara nodding lightly in agreement. The outfits were layered pretty heavily-- both of them swore they'd sweat to death in them one day. Hashirama knew this all too well, of course, so he didn't have a problem agreeing.

"Of course. You two go change." he agreed easily, leaning forward in his chair to shift his attention to the others as Gaara and Itachi headed outside. Itachi's house was right beside theirs, so Hashirama assumed they'd be back soon enough. Until then, they could mess with the others. So that left Sasuke, Neji, and Naruto. A thin smile crept onto his face as he noted, "The compound is looking amazing. It has so many people living in it."

A nod came from Sasuke, the Uchiha seeming proud. "It's grown a lot over the years. It has a population of one-hundred and thirty-nine." he mused, "Though, about a third of that consists of children or teenagers." he noted.

Neji added, "Quite a few people have left, too." much to Hashirama and Madara's confusion. It was a haven. Why on earth would anyone want to leave? Neji expected their confusion, though, and easily explained. "Once the kids get older, they like setting out on their own sometimes. Moving to the other villages or deciding to move in with a lover in the main villages. It's sad to see them go, but they visit often, so at least we get to see them then." he mused.

"Which is what happened with Gaara, I presume?" Madara asked. "Naruto had mentioned that he's a kage now. I was under the impression that he wasn't interested in the job. He didn't seem to be back when he was younger, at least." he questioned.

This earned a sheepish laugh from Naruto, the blonde rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, Gaara wasn't going to, but after his dad passed away a few years ago, it was best for Suna. His siblings aren't the leader types, so they asked Gaara to come to lead Suna until they found someone better suited. He got attached to the job, though." Naruto chuckled. "So we moved to Suna together and have stayed there ever since. Though, we make sure to stop by and screw with Sasuke from time to time." he joked lightly, Hashirama giving a light chuckle.

The brunet asked curiously, a slight smile on his face, "So I suppose that means you and Gaara are together, then?" he mused. "You two did get along rather well from what I remember." lightly ruffling the blonde's hair. That was great to hear-- it must have taken work to help Gaara work past his shyness. Not to mention, they both deserved all the love they could get. It was nice to imagine them together and hopefully thriving.

Naruto was just as excited, nodding with a grin, "Of course. We got married a while ago, and adopted soon after that." he chuckled, "We got our Shinki when he was about seven and we've had him with us ever since. He's down at the training fields right now, but he's supposed to return before dinner. Sasuke wanted to introduce Kawaki to some of the kids so he had some friends his age." he explained.

"Ah, congrats." Hashirama mused. It was hard to imagine Naruto as a father, but he had enough love to give. "It makes sense. Kawaki doesn't seem very sociable." he chuckled awkwardly. At least based on what he'd seen, anyway.

It seemed his suspicions were right, based on Neji and Sasuke's light nods. Neji agreed, "Yes, he doesn't seem to get along with most people. We're hoping that Shinki and Mitzuki will be different, though. They're both fairly calm and have a bluntness to match his." he chuckled lightly.

"Mitzuki is another child, I presume? Of anyone we know?" Marada asked lightly. Another one? Well, it would make sense. After all, they had known pretty much everyone in the compound. Even if Hinata wasn't related to them, she had been around them enough to practically be their niece. 

Neji gave a light nod as he mused lightly, confirming, "Mitzuki is one of Hinata's boys. Well, not biologically, but she adopted him and his elder brother when they were fairly young." he spoke with mild amusement. It was hard to imagine Hinata without the pair of teens clung to her side. 

The elder Uchiha quirked a brow at the amusement in Neji's voice, snickering lightly, "Two kids, huh? She must have her hands full. How young exactly were they when she adopted them?" he asked curiously. He had always thought that Hinata would make a good parent when she got older. She seemed like the motherly type, always worrying over the other compounders and ninja her age.

"It seems like its about as hard as you'd expect." Itachi chuckled lightly. "They're pretty well-behaved kids, at least," he explained. Almost too well-behaved, honestly. He supposed they had picked up their quiet and calm tendencies from their mother. "She found them when Mitzuki was three and Log was eight." seeming mildly upset by the idea.

"Orochimaru had an extra hide-out that we were not aware of until years after Sasuke defeated him. In this hide-out, he was engineering human life. Mitzuki had been created only a month or so before Orochimaru's death. Once Log heard of it, he took to taking care of Mitzuki himself. Nagato came across them on a mission. It looked like they had been trying their best, but there was only so much a pair of kids can do, I suppose. Nagato dropped them off here so that they could get some medical treatment and hopefully a new home. Hinata is the lead medic for the compound so she ended up with them for a few weeks. She got attached pretty fast, from what I hear." Neji smiled thinly. His little cousin, a mother of two, and a medical ninja. Unbelievable, really.

Hashirama nodded, chuckling lightly, "Hinata does seem to be the motherly type. Does she still live in the compound?" he questioned. After all, if Gaara and Naruto had moved, anyone could of as well.

Sasuke nodded in response. "Yes, she does. The only ones from the original compounders who have moved out are Gaara, Naruto, and Konji." he mused lightly. It had been sad to see his student go, but it happened, he supposed. "The kid decided to become part of Jirayia's spy network a few years back. He's been doing pretty well with it from what Itachi tells me." he smiled lightly.

There was a moment of reflecting silence, but it didn't last long. The front door opened, Itachi and Gaara stepping back in. They wore much more relaxed outfits, their kage robes left elsewhere. They weren't alone, though. Beside Itachi stood the broad-shouldered shark-man they all had grown to love, Kisame. He wasn't the only Hoshigaki-gened one in the room, though.

Beside Kisame stood a shorter boy who's skin was a pasty blue. The boy had curly black bangs, his small frown allowing a few of his sharp teeth to be seen. He was wearing black pants and a red sleeveless turtle-neck, the Uchiha symbol displayed proudly on it's back. Hashirama nearly choked on his tea, "Since when can Kisame give birth?" he asked Itachi wide-eyed. Kisame deadpanned lightly. Why did Hashirama assume he was the one to give birth?

Itachi made a tired face, as though he'd heard the question a million times. "He can't. Hashirama, Madara, this is our adoptive son, Shizuma. Shizuma, these are your...grandparents, of sorts." he normally hated to specify that Shizuma was adopted, but given Hashirama's question, it was necessary. "He just happens to be from Kisame's clan."

"I see. That's great!" Hashirama seemed to rebound from his confusion quickly, flashing a smile at the young teen. Shizuma only looked to be sixteen or so tops. He stood, moving to hug the boy, much to the teen's hidden disgust. Hashirama hugged Shizuma, patting his back heavily as he did so. "It's nice to get to meet you."

The teen had false politeness to his voice as he spoke, "It's nice to meet you too." Madara and Kisame both rolling their eyes at the teen. Madara mentally groaned-- this one honeyed his words, Madara could feel it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading, also, comments are appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Any comments/suggestions are appreciated.


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